By Lori EhdeNovember was unseasonably warm, and that’s good news especially for natural gas consumers who are bracing for higher than normal heating bills this winter.In general, natural gas prices are expected to increase about 20 percent over last year.The effect on individual heating bills, though, will depend on weather during the winter heating season, according to information from CenterPoint Energy, the local natural gas supplier."An increase in the actual cost of natural gas, coupled with higher gas use due to colder weather, intensifies the impact on customer bills," said Alicia Dixon, CenterPoint Energy spokesperson.Since last winter was considered a mild winter, a colder-than-usual winter this year could make that 20 percent difference grow to 30 or 40 percent more.Bill Stegemann, Luverne, serviceman for CenterPoint Energy, estimates at least 75 percent of Luverne’s homes are heated with natural gasWhile consumers can’t control natural gas prices, Stegemann said there are some practical things everyone can do to lower heating costs."Make sure your furnace is tuned up," Stegemann said, recommending that it be done professionally."Who doesn’t have their car serviced annually? For some reason, furnaces are down there, out of sight and out of mind. … It’s a good thing to have a sticky note on your calendar. It’s something that you can have done any time of the year."Another maintenance tip that everyone can do without a service professional is to keep the filters cleaned and or replaced."I always tell people to check the filter monthly," Stegemann said. "If it’s clean, put it back and check it again later."Finally, the obvious tip is to keep the thermostat at a conservative setting. "Keep it as low as you’re comfortable with, and just wear extra clothes if you need to," he said.CenterPoint Energy also offers Average Billing, which spreads payments evenly through the year to avoid winter gas bill peaks.For more tips on energy conservation, go to www.centerpointenergy.com.